Rush to the Alter
by OnceWereGreen
Summary: Better than this may sound, so check it out! Edward gets a letter 5 years too late. Is he in time to stop Bella from marrying the wrong man? Does she even still love him? First fanfic, BxE, All Cullens too. Rated M just in case of future chapters
1. Prologue

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**Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight _or any of the characters, but this is my own story line.**

**First fanfic, any comments and reviews are appreciated. Thank you!!! Enjoy!**

**BPOV October 4, 2008**

Much to my surprise, I had made it through the entire day without spilling anything on or tearing my dress. Well...not just a dress..._the_ dress; my wedding dress. Yes, today I would finally be Mrs. Bella Black. Hmm...I would have to get used to saying that.

The whole morning actually seemed a blur to me as I had been carted around from place to place as my mother and best friend, Alice, made sure that I "remained calm." So I kind of had a tendency to stress, okay maybe obsess over minute details, that today they would not let me have anything to do with and it was driving me crazy. But now it was all worth it as I began to hear "Clair de Lune" begin to play signaling my dad and me to prepare to face the crowd. I never did well with crowds, so I guess it was good that I had such a good focal point up ahead of me...I couldn't help but smile as I thought of Jake waiting for me.

"Ready to go Bells?" Dad said quietly. "Am I ever," I said with a small smile.

Sam and Ben pushed the doors open and exposed the sea of people that had gathered for Jake and me. At that moment I wished that Jake came from a smaller less known family, but that was too little to late. My eyes locked with Jake, and I was on my way down the isle; Dad had to gently tug my arm to remind me of the pace we'd finally settled on at last nights rehearsal.

I began to look around at my friends and family. Jessica and Lauren sat together, all too happy to see me marrying Jake and not Edward. They just never understood. Edward and I were just friends. "Always and forever" we would say.

My stomach started to tighten. Nerves I suppose; I never was good at the spotlight thing. Edward always calmed me, where was he...where was he?

Ahh...that bronze spiky hair, so hard to miss. But why wasn't he looking at me? He was looking down and Esme, noticing that I was looking at him, nudged him in the arm and whispered something in his ear. He turned to look at me, and I expected all my fears to dissolve with one look at that crocked smile that I have come to love, but something was different. His smile wasn't complete, so I looked up to his eyes.

Those darn green eyes that I always said I should have been born with. I once told him that it wasn't fair that God had given him green eyes and me plain old brown ones, but all he said was, "God couldn't put too much beauty in one package, we men would never have a chance." My brown eyes hadn't really bothered me since.

However, his familiar green eyes didn't ease my mind today. They looked sad. You know the kind of sad that you try to hide behind a happy face. Why? Why was he sad?

Something must have happened before he got here or maybe Jessica or Lauren did something. So help me, I would hurt them, wedding dress or not.

Esme gently placed her hand on his back; was she comforting him? It took all I had to not drop my dad's arm and rush over to his pew to find out why he was hurting, but that would look bad wouldn't i? It had already taken me too long to convince Jake that Edward and I were just friends; "always and forever."

My mind was set. By the end of the night his smile would be complete, and I would help him past his hurt. I was after all his best friend, newly married or not. I would fix this.

"Who gives this woman away?" Suddenly I snapped out of it as my hand was placed in Jake's, and I was being led to my future.

**EPOV One week earlier**

Why was this happening? Who had sent me this letter?

_Edward,_

_I know it's been much too long since I've seen you, and when we talk you get frustrated at me and say I'm being secretive and short. I'm sorry, I really am. I just don't know how to pretend anymore. Being so far away from you has been the hardest thing I've ever been through. You've been my rock for so long. Hmm...my rock. So when you called and said you were seeing a girl who "could be the one" I felt fear not happiness. Fear that I was loosing my best friend, fear that I was missing out on something; something more than our friendship. I guess I had my chance, why hadn't I just said yes when we were juniors? Maybe I'd be there with you know, dating, engaged, married maybe. I guess if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm in love with you. I love you Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. I love your messy bronze hair. I love your crocked smile that only I get to see. I love how you catch me when I fall. I love how you used to sneak through my bedroom window. I just love you. I'm too cowardly to tell you this in person. I don't want to ruin everything, but I had to tell you. If I never hear anything from you about this, then I know your answer, and I'll understand. Everything will be the same and I will never mention it again. But if you feel the same way, please call me or find a way to come to me. I need you, but I need your friendship more. Promise me. I'll be waiting._

_I love you, always and forever,_

_Your Bella_

One week. Bella gets married in one week. This letter came 5 years to late; who would be giving this too me now?

Do they know she still had feelings for me; do they want me to know what I could have had?

What do I do?

Should I go there and tell her that I love her that I've always loved her, but thought she hadn't loved me?

Do I keep this to myself and live in my personal hell forever?

Bella, my Bella.

I wish you would have told me.


	2. Proceed with Caution

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**Disclaimer: I don't own _Twilight_ or any of the characters, but this is my own story line.**

**So I changed a detail in the prologue. In Bella's note it originally said Freshman, but I changed it to Junior so I could spend less time on the high school years.**

**Chapter 1 **

**Proceed with Caution**

"Ugh, if I have to watch you two drool over each other all year, I don't think I'll make it. I'm so glad you're graduating this year Emmett." I said with disdain towards my brother and his girlfriend Rosalie.

"Funny Eddie. You know if you would just hook up with one of the many girls that throw themselves at you, we wouldn't have this problem. Plus you'd be a lot less uptight," Emmett said with a cocky smile.

I knew exactly what he meant. I had been the third wheel for a little more than a year now and was getting extremely tired of it. Emmett had Rosalie and Alice, my sister, had Jasper, Rosalie's brother and my best friend. But I wasn't going to just date someone to fit in. Especially if that meant a girl from this school. It's not that I didn't have options, and some of them were fairly attractive by normal standards, but most of them were....lacking. Lacking something; Jasper said I was too picky, but I needed to be with someone who could hold a conversation, make me laugh, and knew music by someone other than the current hip hop trend setter. Maybe it was hopeless. Sometimes I felt destined to be alone.

"Don't call me Eddie." I spat

"See what I mean...uptight," Emmett responded.

"Edward, they're staring again," Alice said while waving to Lauren and Jessica letting them know that she saw them gawking. "I really can't stand those two," she said while playing with a lock of Jasper's hair.

I smiled. I couldn't help but be happy for them. "Let them stare," I said taking a bite from my apple.

"They're leaving. I think they got tired of Alice shooting them dirty looks," Jasper said with a smile.

I heard a loud crash followed by a thud. My eyes looked around and finally found the source.

"Watch where you're going, bookworm, or I'll make you wish you never left Phoenix!" Jessica shouted at the brown-haired girl that was still sitting on the ground.

So this was Bella Swan. I hadn't seen her in years; not since we played house back in elementary school. I wonder if she'd remember me. She always used to be so shy. By the way she remained on the ground not much had changed I thought.

"Too late!" Bella said harshly. "By the way, you ran into me, and if you're head wasn't so far...," she bit her lip debating on whether or not to continue. "Anyways, just watch where you're going," she said as she began to pick herself up off the ground.

Didn't see that coming. She had a spine. I liked that. I think I liked it even more since she had just stood up to Jessica, so I stood up and began walking towards her. "Edward?" Alice said a little confused, but I bet she already had an idea of what I was going to do. She's good like that; sixth sense or something.

"Bella, I wondered what was keeping you. Now I see," I said giving Jessica a look that showed my disapproval. She just looked back at me with a face that said _are you kidding me_? I reached down and began to pick up Bella's things when I finally saw their feet retreat and heard Jessica mumble something about me being stupid.

"You really didn't need to do that Edward. I can take care of myself," she said still annoyed with what had just happened.

"That's okay. Any excuse to annoy that girl...wait...you remember me?" I said sounding more surprised than I hoped.

"Well....yeah. Even if I hadn't, it's hard not to know who you are by the way all the girls talk about you. Besides it was your hair that gave you away," she said. I swore I saw her blush. Was that because of me or was she still upset?

"Hey Eddie, are we gonna go talk to Coach before lunch is over or what?" I heard Emmett yell causing me to snap to my feet. Jasper and he were waiting for me by the door.

"Don't call me Eddie!" I shouted at him. "I guess we'll have to catch up later. Try not to cause anymore accidents, huh?" I said with a smile and walked towards the guys. I turned around to see her glaring at me. Crap. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Just then Alice started walking towards her. Like I said sixth sense.

The meeting with Coach was quick. He mostly wanted to give us a talk about how this year we had a huge responsibility to build our team up since we had lost so many starting players. Football was fun; we were the Cougars, and it helped pass the time. I mostly played because of Emmitt and Jasper, but I was fast, so I had turned out to be a pretty good receiver. When we were done, I headed for Biology while the guys headed to gym. "See you at practice, man," Jasper yelled before turning the corner.

I was good at biology. I guess it was because Dad was a doctor and what he did interested me. I took my seat at the second lab table and waited for Mr. Likes to begin. I was humming a song when I heard someone sit down next to me. Startled, I stopped humming and spun around in my chair.

"Clair de Lune? Didn't pick you for that type. Sorry about earlier; I tend to have a bit of a temper. Alice invited me to finish lunch with her and...um...Rosalie. So.....," she trailed off looking at me like I had a third eye. It was then I realized that I was staring at her with a puzzled look on my face.

"Oh s...sorry," I stammered. "I'm just not used to someone hearing me hum let alone actually knowing what I was humming. Apology accepted," I said with a smile.

"Oh...well you have a nice voice, " she said blushing. Then I heard her say, "of course he does," under her breath. No doubt not meant for me to hear.

"I'm sorry, what do you mean?" I asked a little taken aback. Was that a dig?

"Oh...umm...I just mean that sometimes I feel like God doesn't evenly distribute things that's all. I didn't mean anything by it," she mumbled and turned away.

All I could do was laugh. She was glaring. Great. I had managed to do it again, and before I could apologize or explain why I thought that was funny Mr. Likes decided to start class. She wouldn't even look at me. Should I pass her a note? Yeah great idea, I could tell her in a note that I thought she was perfect. Way to be a seventh grader Edward. I guess I would just tell her after class that I thought she didn't see herself very clearly. She knew Clair de Lune; no one ever knew that song, and on the inside of her book I noticed an _Iron & Wine _sticker. Hmm...we had a lot in common. I bet we'll be good friends. I'll make sure we'll be good friends.

"Okay, pop quiz next time," Mr. Likes said as I heard chairs begin to shuffle around.

She was gone. How had she sneaked out so quickly? Great. I guess I'll just have to talk to her another time. If she ever even looks at me again. Way to go Edward.

**A/N Hope it was good. The younger years are all gonna be from EPOV, not sure yet how it will be once college hits and the letter is actually written. Suggestions and comments appreciated. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Don't Botch It Up

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**Disclaimer: I don't own _Twilight_ or the characters, but this is my story line. **

**Chapter 2 is ready Enjoy! I'll try to post often, but I have a 10 month old, so we'll see how that goes.**

**Chapter 2**

**Don't Botch It Up**

Football practice didn't go so well. Needless to say Coach was giving me an ear full about not listening to his little pep talk at lunch time. "Sorry Coach," I mumbled through my mouth guard.

"Dude, you were really off your game today," Emmett said as we headed towards the locker room.

"Yeah Edward, what's the deal? You usually don't need an excuse to tackle Newton," Jasper said trying to get me to answer him.

"Don't worry about it. My mind was just somewhere else today. Em, are you hanging out with Rosalie tonight or do you wanna hang out?" I said trying to change the subject.

"Man I wish, she has cheer practice tonight, so I guess I'm all yours Eddie. Jazz, you gonna come over? Maybe we can finally get Edward to talk about what happened at lunch," Emmett yelled into the shower.

"Yeah, I'll be over a little later. I need to pick something up for Alice around 6:30 in town, so I'll meet you there; tell Esme I'll probably stay for dinner. Oh, you mean that thing about him coming to Bella's rescue. Yeah what was with that Edward?" Jazz shouted back.

I pretended not to hear them. As I stood under the stream of water I couldn't help but wish I could wash away this afternoon too. Sometimes I had this way of making people feel like I was making fun of them when I wasn't, and today was no exception. Man I had really pissed Bella off. I wondered if I would be too much of a stalker if I called her house. I mean her dad's the police chief, so it wouldn't be hard to find out her phone number. No, that would be too strange. I'll just get to school early tomorrow and set this straight. We were after all going to be good friends, so I couldn't well have her not talking to me. I'll have to ask Alice if she had seen Bella anytime after Biology today. I must be grabbing at straws here; maybe I'm just tired of being the odd man out. At least if Bella was around I would have someone else to talk to, and she really did seem interesting. Not too mention that she wasn't too bad on the eyes. Her milky skin made her soft brown eyes stand out, and she had the fullest, pink lips. I could definitely handle having her around more often. Enough; I better stop thinking about Bella before I have some explaining to do to the guys.

I grabbed my towel, wrapped it around my waist, and headed towards my locker. Jasper was already dressed and on his phone and Emmett was busy singing into a brush to notice me walk up. My older brother was something else. It wasn't any surprise to me when he was voted class clown. "Practicing for you next album, Em?" I said before I snapped him with his towel and laughed.

"Oww! Edward! If you hadn't already been creamed today you'd be in for it, Dude," He yelped while grabbing at his thigh. "Just for that, I'm not telling you my secret."

"That's okay Em. I think I just might live through that," I laughed poking fun at him.

"We'll see about that Eddie. Remind me to ask you about that later," he said with a laugh.

"What happened to you Emmett?" Jasper asked as he returned. "I leave for one second and you started a fight?"

"Me?? Never. No actually it wasn't which is why we won't be telling Eddie here what we just found out. Okay?" He said elbowing Jasper in his side.

"Oww...okay sure," Jasper said rubbing his side.

What were they up to? I decided to make them think I didn't care and finished getting dressed. Just as I was pulling on my t-shirt I felt my phone vibrate. One new message

_Edward Dear, would you mind stopping by the store and picking up some flour? Dinner is at 7. Don't be late, we'll have company. Love, Mom_

"Em, Mom needs something from the store on our way home. Do you know who's coming over?" I asked as I tied my shoes.

"Oh I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Emmett said with a sly grin.

Great that was it. That was the surprise. God I hope it wasn't Tonya and her sisters. That chick just can't take a hint. I'd better start coming up with a good story now to get out of hanging out with them later.

When we got home, Mom was busy cooking.

"Hey Mom. Here's your flour. I'm going to head up to my room and rest a while before we have dinner," I said while walking out of the room.

"Oh Edward? Do you remember Bella Swan, the Chief's daughter?" Mom said stopping me in my tracks

"Um...yeah I actually had a run in with her today," I said. "She...uhh...isn't my biggest fan right now."

"Oh...well I'm sure you'll make it right," she said softly before returning to her work.

As I left the kitchen, I passed my piano and let my fingers run along the keys. I really need to make more time to play. Mental note made. When I got up to my room I kicked off my shoes and hopped onto my bed. I laughed a little when I thought about how mad I'd made Emmett in the locker room. I must have gotten comfortable because I woke up to people laughing downstairs. Ugh...our company must be here; wonder what time it is. 6:47; Jasper should be here by now; I wonder why he didn't wake me. Must be with my sister. Bros before hoes dude. Well...Alice isn't a hoe, and I'd probably be doing the same thing. I got up and threw on a cream sweater and headed downstairs. That's when I heard her name.

"So Bella, how have you adjusted to the weather here in Forks?" Dad asked

Bella?! Bella was our guest. Ohh....I'm going to kill Emmett...and Jasper. I reached the bottom of the stairs when I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"There you are," Alice said with a smile, "I knocked on your door but I guess you didn't hear me. Jazzy told me about practice, so I just let you sleep."

"Um...yeah thanks Ally," I said sliding in between her and Mom on the couch.

"Well actually Dr. Cullen, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. It's quite cold, but I kind of enjoy the trees and grass. It's different from Phoenix, that's for sure," Bella said while tucking a stray hair behind her ear. God she was beautiful.

"Call me Carlisle, please. And Esme also. You've known us for quite a long time. Remember when I caught you and Edward playing house in my study," Carlisle said laughing but suddenly stopped when he saw how Bella and I reacted.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, if you would all like to head to the dining room," Mom said politely.

I grabbed Alice by the arm before she had a chance to get up off the couch. "Why did you invite Bella here? She was the something that Jazz was picking up? Did she say anything about being mad at me?" I said nearly shouting at her.

"Whoa whoa...calm down Edward. First of all, I can be friends with Bella too, and friends invite friends to come over for dinner. And second of all, yes she did talk about you, but you'll need to talk to her about that. I smoothed the way a little, but don't botch it up any more okay big brother," she said giving me a pat on the arm and heading for the dining room.

I sat there for a moment, and thought about what she said. Don't botch it up? What did she mean by that? She know's I didn't mean anything by what I did. By the time I got to the table, the only seat open was next to Bella. Great. Dinner was gonna be awesome. We talked about school, Dad's day at work, Bella's mom and a handful of other topics. When dinner was over, the girls helped Mom clear the table while the guys put away the rest of the food.

"Come on Eddie...grow a pair and talk to her already. Do you want her to be pissed off at you all night?" Emmett whispered pushing me towards girls.

"How the he...Alice told you?" I asked not needing an answer.

"Come on Edward. Just fix it. Looks like Alice likes her, so that means she's gonna be here for a while," Jasper said quietly.

"Fine." When Bella headed towards the living room, I took this to be my chance. I followed her out and must have startled her cause she dropped her purse.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, if that would be okay?

"Yeah, sure. Let me grab my coat," she said.

When we got outside, I showed her to the swing, and we sat down.

"Bella, I'm really sorry about today. I have this tendency to make people feel like I'm making fun of them. But I really wasn't. When you said that God didn't distribute things evenly, I laughed because...well I just thought that you didn't see yourself very clearly. I wasn't making fun of you really. So...I'm sorry. I guess since you're gonna be friends with Alice we kind of need to be civil too," I said sincerely. She looked surprised. Great!

"Forgiven," was all she said.

We sat there for a few minutes; I guess not knowing what to say.

"We're going to be friends too you know," she said surprising me.

"We are, huh?" I said deciding to play along.

"How could I not be friends with someone who hums Debussy," she said elbowing me in the ribs.

"Yeah lets just keep that between us. Okay friend?" I said teasing her a little.

"There you two are. Get everything worked out? See Bella I told you he wasn't a jerk, just a little....well he's just a boy," Alice said rubbing her arms to keep warm.

"Jerk, huh?" I said shooting Bella a look.

"Yeah, we're good," Bella chuckled, "Let's go inside friend."

I knew right then that I was in trouble. I was falling for Bella.

**Hope you guys liked it. Let me know!**


	4. All Dawson's Creek Like

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**Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight _or any of the characters, but this is my own story line.**

**Chapter 3**

**All Dawson's Creek Like**

Once we got inside, I noticed that the entire family was now seated in the living room. Alice moved towards Jasper, while Bella and I sprawled out on the floor. We spent the next hour or so talking about Forks and what Bella could expect from living here. Once my parents left, we all decided to fill her in on how Forks High really ran. I began by telling her about Jessica and Lauren.

"Jessica and Lauren, you know the two that plowed you over, I don't know if you were properly introduced," I said with a smile. 'Those two are poison. All they do is talk about people. Trust me Bella; you're safer not knowing them."

"Safer? Thanks, but I'm a big girl Edward," she said with a dirty look.

"Yeah, we all saw that by you're 'kicking ass and taking names' showdown at lunch," Emmett said while clapping. "Don't worry, we all just wish you would have finished that sentence that's all."

Just then we heard Esme from upstairs, "It's getting late guys. Jasper, would you mind taking Bella home when you leave?"

"Umm...actually Emse, I'm staying here tonight. Em, Edward, and I need to work on some plays for Coach. Is that okay?" Jasper asked while Alice was silently jumping up and down.

"Sure Jasper, you know you're always welcome. Well then...Edward, would you mind taking Bella home?" Esme asked.

"Sure Mom, we'll leave now," I said trying to remain calm. What was my family trying to do to me?

"Ready to go Bella?" I asked while getting to my feet and holding my hand out to help her up.

"Okay. Thanks a lot for asking me over tonight Alice, I had so much fun," Bella said politely.

"Are you kidding me? It's about time we found a third girl. We've got an even playing field now boys, so watch your backs," Alice said while jumping into a ninja stance.

We all laughed, and then Bella and I headed for the door. I opened the door for her, and she got into my Volvo.

"Nice car. Bet you drive fast," she said as she buckled her seat belt.

I laughed quietly, "Yes, I like to drive fast, but don't worry I've never been in an accident."

She fell asleep on the ride to her house. Good thing I knew where the Chief lived. I kept stealing glances at her. She looked so peaceful and sweet sleeping in my front seat; I hated to wake her when we arrived.

"Bella. Bella, we're here," I said quietly into her ear.

"Oh, I'm sorry...that was rude of me. I see you found my house. Great, Char...I mean Dad's not home yet. Edward, I hate to ask, but...umm...would you mind staying with me until he gets home. It's not that I'm scared. It's just a new place for me; you know weird neighbors and all. We could watch a movie while we wait," she asked while fumbling with her keys.

"Sure, let me text Em and tell him I'll be back later. I'll meet you inside?" I said while opening my door.

"Thanks, I'll see you inside. I'll start some popcorn and pick out a few movies," Bella said sounding happy.

I got out my phone and shot Em a text: _Gonna stay here til the Chief gets home. Don't wait for me to start on the plays. Edward_

Before I had even got into the house my phone vibrated. _Way to go Eddie! Don't do anything thing I wouldn't do man! ;)_

Stupid Emmett. I'm sure everyone one knows now.

When I got inside, Bella had already had popcorn popping and some movies laid out on the table. Fight Club...Serendipity...Harry Potter...Bruce Almighty...interesting. "A little bit of everything, huh?" I called into the living room.

"Oh yeah...I didn't know what you felt like, so I just grabbed a few, " she said with a giggle.

"Well I like John Cusack, so lets watch this I guess," I said tossing her the case.

"It's kind of a chick flick, is that okay?" she asked timidly.

"That's cool. I'm in touch with my sensitive side and all that crap," I said before sitting on the couch.

She started the movie and we settled in.

"So what do you want to do after high school, Edward," Bella asked not looking over at me.

"Well I was thinking about going to Dartmouth and studying medicine. I've gone to the hospital with my dad before, and it seems really interesting. Well at least it's worth me checking into. What about you?" I asked before tossing some popcorn in my mouth.

"I'm still not sure. I guess I'm going to go to college, but I don't know where, and I don't know what I want to study. I'm good at Biology so medicine kind of interests me, but I'd have to do something that doesn't involve sharp objects. I tend to be a little clumsy, so the less I put myself in danger the better," she said jokingly. "Do you still play the piano?"

"You remember that?" I asked staring at her.

"Oh yeah, don't you remember me making you play chopsticks like 30 times a day," she said laughing.

I laughed, "I had forgotten that. Yes, I still play, but not as much as I should. I was actually just thinking about that today. I haven't composed anything in a long time. I guess nothing inspires me at the moment."

"Wow. Composed. I feel extremely insignificant," she said quietly while getting to her feet. "I'm going to go grab a blanket, would you like to see the rest of the house?

"Sure," I said standing up and following her to the stairs.

"This is Charlie's room, the bathroom, the spare bedroom, and this is my room," she said while flipping on the light. "Sorry it's such a mess; I wasn't planning on anyone else being in here."

"No problem. Wow, your cd collection might just rival mine. Like to read?" I said pointing to her overfilled book shelf. Bella likes the classics; Romeo and Juliet, Withering Heights, Pride and Prejudice.

"You know I probably have half of these albums at home too," I said while holding up a couple cases.

"Sometimes I just like to lose myself in music, you know?" she said while lying down on the bed.

I took a seat on the floor and we sat and talked for what seemed like hours.

"Bella? Bella, do you have company up there; it's pretty late?" I heard the footsteps getting closer with every word.

"I had fun…um…if you want when you leave I could leave my window open and…um…you could climb the tree to get in. I mean only if you want…we could finish talking," she said quickly before Charlie walked in.

"Hey Dad. I didn't want to stay here alone, so I asked Edward to stay until you got home. This is Alice's brother, you know the girl I had dinner with tonight," she said trying to ease his mind.

"Yes, I know…Edward Cullen. Your father is an excellent doctor. Edward, thank you for keeping my little girl company, but you should probably be leaving; it's pretty late," Charlie said while walking towards Bella's door.

"Yes, Sir. Good night Bella. Bye Sir," I said before walking out the door.

Had Bella really just asked me to sneak back into her room…by climbing a tree? I mean of course I was going to do it; I would do practically anything Bella asked of me. I just hope I didn't kill my self or get shot in the process.

I started my car and pulled it around the corner until it was out of sight. Then I made my way back to Bella's house being careful not to be seen or heard. As I started my ascent up the tree, I decided that it was definitely three times the size it appeared while I was on the ground. When I finally reached her window, I found it was slightly open. I pushed it open the rest of the way and climbed through quietly. Her room was empty, so I sat in the chair at her desk and waited.

"Good night Dad," I heard her say from the hallway. Then the door opened. She was in her pajamas. It was a tank top and bottoms; sexy but not too sexy thank God.

"I was wondering if you would come back; I hope you don't find this too _Dawson's Creek _like," she said with a giggle before sitting down on her bed.

"_Dawson's Creek_?" I said looking a little confused. Who was this Dawson guy?

"You know _Dawson's Creek_. Dawson and Joey; will they won't they. TV show full of teen angst?" she said completely surprised.

"Nope sorry," I said shaking my head.

She just laughed and sighed. We talked for a few more hours about music, my compositions and our families before I felt my phone vibrate causing me to notice the time.

"Crap. It's late," I said before reading the text.

_Dude, where are you? It's 2:30. They'll be plenty of chances to flirt with Bella later. Emmett_

"I should really go. I had a lot of fun…I guess I'll see you at school," I said getting to my feet.

"You could stay…I mean it's already late. I promise I won't try stealing your virtue or anything. I even have an extra pillow," she said as she tossed a pillow to me.

"Well…as long as you promise to keep your hands to yourself," I said before sending a text out.

_Staying here tonight. Will be home before anyone knows. And shut it Emmett._

I settled in, and Bella threw an extra blanket on me.

"Thanks," I said while yawning. "Good night Bella."

"Night friend," she said softly.

Friend. Always and forever I thought to myself.

That was the first of many nights that I snuck into her room and stayed with Bella. We have been best friends ever since. But what do you do when you love your best friend?

**A/N**

**So I have lots hits to the story, but not many reviews. I need your help guys, is this any good. Please leave reviews!!! Thanks!**


	5. Oww Oww! Who's that Hottie?

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Twilight**_** or the characters, but this is my story line. Enjoy**

**Chapter 4**

**Oww Oww!!! Who's That Hottie?**

"Come on guys, it's the Winter Carnival, you have to go!!" Alice pleaded.

"You are nominated for King Edward," Rosalie said soon after.

I just shrugged my shoulders. Bella was sitting on the step above me playing with my hair. It kind of had a mind of its own, and she loved to shape it. Once she put a bow in it without me noticing, and I had managed to make it through two classes before someone finally told me.

"Come on just drop it. I don't have a date, and you all know that it wouldn't matter if I did because you know I can't dance. Remember the Homecoming fiasco?" Bella said throwing her arms out pretending to fall.

The girls had put Bella in these heels that were just screaming "accident waiting to happen" and sure enough before the dance had even started, she twisted her ankle causing me to take her to the hospital where we remained for the rest of the evening.

"Oh Bella. We'll just put you in a smaller heel this time. Besides Edward can take you, he doesn't have a date either," Alice said glancing to me.

Once Alice caught me staring at Bella a little too long and guessed that I liked her. She has been trying to get us together ever since. It was true though, I didn't have a date, which is partly why I wasn't going. I had been dating Angela…kind of trying to get over Bella…but she had broken up with me after a month when I wasn't paying enough attention to her; now she's with Ben, and I have to say, they make a much better couple than we had.

"Besides, Newton's having a party afterwards. We can finally get our little Bella here drunk," Emmett said winking.

"We could go if you wanted. I mean, we don't have to dance, but if you wanted to I promise I wouldn't let go of you. Everyone's going to be there, so we really wouldn't have anything else to do," I said turning my head to look up at her.

"Great, then it's settled. Bella, we'll go shopping for a dress right after school," Alice said clapping her hands.

"Oh great, can't wait," Bella said while pulling my hair. She hated when Alice played Bella Barbie. I would probably pay later.

"We had better get to Biology, or we'll be late again," I said getting to my feet. "See you later guys.

"Guess it's gonna be me and you as usual," she said before we got to class.

"Always and forever Bella," I said with a shy smile.

The rest of school went by quickly. Bella and I talked about the dance a little. I played it calm on the outside, but I was dying inside. I would get to dance with Bella tonight. I could hold her close and not worry about it being weird because I was supposed to be dancing with her. I knew she would look beautiful, and I couldn't wait for Friday.

Fortunately the next two days went by in a blur. Alice was so busy taking Bella shopping that I hardly got to spend any time with her. We all decided to get ready at my house, so the guys had been banned from the upstairs so the girls could surprise us. Jasper and Emmett were talking about prom already. They were going to go in on a limo together for the girls. Alice had made sure that we all wore shirts that would compliment their dresses, so all we had to do was get dressed.

"Emmett you really need to learn to tie your own tie," I said talking his tie from around my neck and tossing it too him.

"But Eddie, that's why I have you," he said grinning. "Thanks man." He was checking himself out in the mirror singing "I'm Too Sexy" while Jasper and I laughed.

"We're ready," Alice yelled from upstairs. "Tell Mom to get the camera cause you're not gonna want to miss this."

Rosalie came down first. She was in a red low cut dress. Emmett walked to the bottom of the steps quickly and smiled up at her. "You look hot Rose," he said almost drooling. Mom took their picture.

Alice was next. She wore a green dress that looked like it was sparkling. Jasper took her hand and kissed it when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Alice giggled and kissed his cheek before posing for her picture.

Bella was going to be next. I had to remind my self to breath. I had time to walk to the bottom of the stairs before she had even appeared. She walked around the corner slowly taking deliberate steps. Alice wasn't kidding. Bella looked amazing, beautiful, magnificent, and sexy. She was in a blue dress that was draped closely to her body. Everything looked great in it. She was perfect. She looked nervous though as she held onto the banister and looked at each step before she walked. I smiled at her which made her blush. I loved it when she did that. I took her hand and helped her off the last step before I placed my hand on her back and leaned into her ear.

"You look beautiful," I said quietly. I put my arm around her waist and we took our picture. I would have to get a copy of that one I thought to myself.

Alice had made cover stories for us, so we could go to Newton's party. Emmett and I were supposed to be staying at Jasper's house, while the girls were going to be at Bella's. She had even packed us all a change of close for the party.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Mom. I'll call you when we find out who made king," Alice said as we all walked out the door.

I walked Bella to her door and helped her into my car. I felt nervous. I knew I would get to touch Bella tonight in ways I usually wasn't able to. I was going to make the most of tonight.

We drove most of the way in silence. I kept stealing glances at her. He legs looked amazing; she should definitely where dresses more often.

"You really do look amazing tonight, Bella. I bet the guys will be all over you," I said sounding a little jealous.

"I don't want to dance with anyone. Besides, you promised that you wouldn't let go of me, remember?" she said

"Of course," was all I said. That wouldn't be a hard promise to keep.

We could hear the music when we pulled into the parking lot. I helped Bella out and headed for the door. Then I heard Emmett yell from behind us.

"Wow!!! Who's that hottie? Oww!!! Oww!!!"

Bella just picked up the pace and I shot Emmett a dirty look. He just laughed and ran up behind Bella.

"Oh, Bella. You are a hottie, you know? Edward's going to have to step up his A-game tonight," Emmett said with his arm around her. "Save me dance," he yelled as Rosalie pulled him to the dance floor closely followed by Alice and Jasper.

"Damn Bella. You look hot. You're not here with Cullen are you?" I turned around when I heard his voice.

"Actually, Mike, I am here with Edward. You better hurry back to Jessica before she comes looking for you," Bella said turning away from.

"Oh I'd rather dance with you baby," he said grabbing her arm.

"Take your hands off her, Newton!" I yelled grabbing his arm and shoving him back.

"Whoa…easy Cullen. I was just telling Bella here how good she looked. Isn't that right Bella?" he said with a grin.

"I better never see you touch her again, or I'll make practice look like a walk in the park," I said growling at him.

"Okay. Okay," Mike said with his hands in the air. "I'll see you at my party tonight Bella," Mike said before walking away.

"I'm sorry Bella. He won't bother you again, and we don't have to go to the party later if you would rather not," I said while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"That's okay, and I'm not going to let that idiot ruin our night. You just won't be able to leave my side, that's all," she said grabbing my hand.

"Your wish is my command," I said bowing. "Would you like to dance?" I asked noticing a slow song had just started.

"Um…sure," she said hesitantly.

"It will be fine," I said smiling at her. I led her to the dance floor, put my arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Just follow my lead," I said trying to sound seductive.

"That's not fair you know," she said quietly.

"What's not?" I asked confused.

"It's not fair when you dazzle people. Girls don't stand a chance with that face," she said burrowing her head in my chest. "God should have given me your green eyes instead of plain old brown ones."

"Silly Bella," I said lifting her chin up so she I could look into her eyes, "God couldn't put too much beauty in one package, we men would never have a chance." And then I kissed her forehead.

I wanted so much to tell her how perfect she was; how beautiful I thought she was. I wanted to kiss her and let her know exactly how I felt.

"Bella," I said quietly, "I need to tell you something." My heart was pounding. I was about to tell Bella that I thought we belonged together; that I loved her. What if she hated me for it?

"Okay," she said waiting for me to continue.

"Bella…I…umm…I think," I thought I was going to die.

"Edward, whatever it is, you can tell me. Always and forever, right?" she said trying to reassure me.

"That's kind of why I'm having a hard time. Oh boy…okay…like ripping a band aid off," I said staring to mumble. "Bella….I have feelings for you, and I think that I would like to ask you to be my girlfriend.

Great. She looked in shock. Shouldn't I be the one terrified right now? Then the worst possible thing happened.

"Excuse me," I heard a voice say over the speaker. "Would the nominees for King and Queen please make their way to the stage?"

Just then I felt someone pushing me to the front. "Come on Eddie, they're all waiting," Emmett said pushing me.

When I got on stage I looked out to where I had just been standing. She was gone. I looked around, but didn't see her anywhere. Great. Way to go Cullen.

**A/N**

**Hey Everyone. I'm having fun with this story. There's a lot more to be told, but I'm kind of wondering if you all are enjoying it. So I'm hopping that you could inspire me a little to get the next chapter done. I'm thinking 15 new reviews. You guys can do it!! Oh yeah...Happy Halloween everyone. Thanks for reading. So how do you think the party chapter should play out? Now taking suggestions!!**


	6. AN

**A/N **

**Sorry guys this really isn't an update. I was wanting to throw an idea past you all. While I'm waiting on a few more reviews I was going to keep writing so that way I would be able to post sooner for you all, but anyways. I was kicking around the idea that in a future chapter, Bella and Edward would lose their virginities to each other which would help to explain their semi-estrangement at college, but I don't know. I was also considering sticking to the the virtuous relationship that was potrayed in the book. So what do you guys think?**

**Should they get it on or not? ;) **

**You're comments will help me decide.**

**Hope everyone had a good weekend**


	7. Bottle Half Full of Half Empty?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's character, but this is my own story line. Enjoy.**

**Check out my one shot Night Moves!!!**

**Chapter 5**

**Bottle half full or half empty?**

Why the hell did I have to say that? She must be freaking out. I just told Bella that I wanted her to be my girlfriend. I mean it was all true, but what was I thinking; of course Bella didn't feel that way for me. I had to find her and tell her that I didn't mean it, maybe she'd believe me. Oh God, where was she?

"Edward? Edward? Would you please come here and accept your crown?" Mr. Irvin was saying.

I made my way to the center of the stage, never once taking my eyes off the crowd. Finally…there she was. I could see her in the hallway talking to someone. Just then Alice peeked her head into the gym. Oh great. She was talking to Alice. I was never going to hear the end of this.

"Edward? Edward? Would you please make your way to the dance floor for the King and Queen dance?" Mr. Irvin was saying.

He looked a little more than annoyed with my current bout of ADD. Wait queen? Oh God please not…

"Edward, I'm so excited to be your queen!" I heard her squeal as she grabbed for my arm. "I knew we would be crowned. We should have come together."

I could tell Jessica was getting mad that I wasn't paying attention to her, but I couldn't take my eyes off the door. Bella never even once looked into the gym. Finally, Jessica had given up talking to me. When the song was over, Jessica turned around and stalked off mumbling to herself. I immediately headed towards the door.

As soon as I walked through it, a small arm grabbed my wrist and began dragging me down the hallway. For being so small, my sister was strong.

"Alice. Alice! Let me go! Where did Bella go?" I yelled yanking my arm from her grasp.

"She's gone. She said she needed to think. I gave her Jasper's keys. She said that if she didn't make it back before the end of the dance that she would meet us at Mike's party. She was really freaked out Edward," Alice said looking into my eyes.

"Alice I know. Do you think I wanted it to happen like that, but Emmett practically carried me to the stage. I didn't have a chance to talk to her. What did she say to you?" I asked desperately.

"Well she told me what happened. I mean what you said about thinking you had feelings for her and wanting to ask her out. She just kept saying 'No. NO. I will not let things change. I need him as a friend too much. What if things went wrong?' Edward it was scary. I've never seen her like that," Alice said sounding a little worried.

"I'm going to go wait outside. I need to see her if she comes," I said walking away from Alice.

She needed me as a friend. I knew it! God, I had made such a mess of this. Why hadn't I just kept my mouth shut? Now things were going to be weird. I had to fix this; I would do whatever it takes to make this better.

She never came back to the dance, and finally Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie came outside to find me. No one said anything to me. Emmett just gave me a nod as I headed to my car and they headed towards Emmett's jeep. That was his way of saying everything would be okay, but I didn't know if things would be okay.

When we showed up to Mike's party, there were all ready a few dozen people there. I walked straight into the house and went looking for Bella. I found her, but I had not prepared myself to find her like this. She was sitting on the couch with a bottle of what looked to be vodka in her hand.

Oh my God…I had caused her to do this. Never once had I seen Bella have more than a few drinks from a beer, and here she was with a bottle of vodka. How could I have done this?

"Bella," I said quietly from the doorway. She looked up at me and then quickly looked away. She looked ashamed. I almost ran over to her.

"Edw…Edward, I'm so sorry I left without saying anything to you," she said still not looking at me. "I just…I didn't know what to say. You're my best friend." She finally looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"No Bella. I should be the one...," she cut me off.

"Wait…let me finish. I love you Edward. I love you so much, but I just…I just don't feel that I'm in love with you. I've seen too many friendships ruined by trying to make things something they weren't meant to be, and I can't…I can't do that. Your friendship means too much to me," she said bringing her hands to her face. "I'm so sorry."

"Bella, it's okay. I will always be your best friend, never worry that you'll lose me," was all I could say. I thought about Alice and Jasper…they had been friends first, and Emmett and Rosalie too, but I couldn't bring that up. She had clearly made up her mind, and I wouldn't do anything else to cause her pain. I would never hurt Bella again.

"Friends? Always and forever?" she asked.

"Always and forever," I said and pulled her in for a hug. I knew we would probably never talk about this again. I could feel my heart breaking, but I couldn't show Bella that. "Okay…where can I get a drink?" I said trying to break the ice.

She just looked up at me and laughed.

"Well well, what do we have here? Bella, you started without me?" Emmett said pouting while tossing me a beer.

I needed to take my mind off of everything that had just happened. And from the look of Bella's half empty bottle she did too. Emmett pulled her off the couch and started dragging her towards the music.

"I never got that dance, Bella," he said while throwing the rest of us a thumbs up.

Jasper and Alice came to sit by me on the couch.

"Alice, do me a favor and never talk to me about what just happened. Well at least don't talk to me about it tonight, and don't talk to Bella about it either. Nothings going to happen between us, and we just need to have a good time and forget about this whole thing…at least for tonight," I said while throwing my empty can to the floor.

Alice just nodded her head and looked at me with concern in her eyes.

"I'll be fine," was all I said.

Jasper gave me a pat on the back and said, "Let's get this man another beer."

It carried on this way for the next few hours. I only talked to Bella twice after that, but I kept an eye on her to make sure she was okay. Each time I spoke with her she seemed to be getting progressively drunk, so I told Emmett to make sure he stayed with her. If I wasn't with her, I at least need to know that she was going to be taken care of.

I made my way to the living room where people were dancing, only to find Bella grinding on Tyler. I thought I was going to explode. I ran at him, but he saw me coming and took off. When I reached Bella, she hadn't even noticed Tyler was gone and stared dancing with me. I guess when she noticed her dance partner was no longer moving she turned around and saw me.

"Edward…where have you been? Have you been avoiding me?" she asked with slurred speech, but she was still dancing. She was now facing me, wiggling her hips, and getting dangerously close to me.

"N…no Bella I've…I've just been in the other room," I said backing away from her.

"Oh...well I'm glad you're here now," she said moving closer.

"I thought you couldn't dance," I said trying to get her to stop and talk to me.

"Well I guess drinking makes me a good dancer," she said smiling and spinning in a circle.

"Come on Edward. Dance with me," she said getting closer.

She was so sexy. Okay, come on Edward. Think. Think. Think of anything else other than Bella. Bella and her sexy blue dress and her soft brown eyes, but I couldn't. I let her close the gap between us, and I put my hands on her hips. She started to swing her hips back and forth; her dress would sweep across my pants. Then she turned around and backed up against me. She brought her hand up and put it on the back of my neck. I leaned down and smelled her hair. God she smelled like strawberries. I started to move my body with her. I had never been this close to Bella before, and I felt like I would die from sensory overload. I could see her, smell her, and touch her. I bent down and kissed her neck softly. Oh God this was so wrong. She was drunk. Oh who was I kidding…I was drunk too. I stopped dancing and turned her around to face me.

"Come on Bella we need to get you home," I said grabbing her hand.

She didn't protest. I really don't think she was even coherent enough to argue with me. I called 411 from my phone and got the number for a cab company. I was in no condition to drive either. I found Emmett and Rosalie and told them that I was going to get Bella home. They asked me about Charlie, but I reminded them that Bella wasn't even supposed to be home tonight, so he would probably be asleep. I told them to let Jasper and Alice know, and started walking Bella to the door.

I sat her on the front step and then set down besides her. I thought we could get a little fresh air while we waited on the cab. She rested her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. I had to carry her to the car. She slept the entire was to her house. All the lights were out, so I guessed that Charlie was already asleep. I told the driver to wait and I'd be back. I left Bella in the cab just long enough to get their hidden key and open the front door for me. I picked Bella up from the back seat and carried her to the house.

When I got inside, I looked around just to make sure I didn't see any lights on. Coast was clear. I began to climb the stairs quietly. Walking past Charlie's room was what worried me the most, but his door was partially closed, so I just walked extra carefully. I finally reached Bella's room, but when I walked inside, I tripped over something and struggled to stay on my feet. Bella wiggled in my arms. Then I heard a noise from Charlie's room. I laid Bella on her bed and threw the blanket over her quickly.

"Shhhh," I told her before I ran to hide in her closet.

"Bella?" I heard Charlie say quietly while walking into her room. I heard footsteps getting closer; he must be checking on her. I waited until I heard her door close, before cracking the door to look out.

"He's gone Edward," I heard Bella whisper.

"I'm gonna go; the cabs waiting. Good night Bella," I said walking to the window.

"Please stay," I heard her say.

I stopped at the window, but didn't open it, but I didn't turn around either.

"Please," she said again.

"I'll be right back," I said disappearing out the window. I paid the driver and then climbed back up to Bella's room.

She was still in her bed when I stepped through the window. I walked over to her drawer and grabbed some of my clothes that I left there. I had stayed over so often that I always left something to sleep in while I was here.

"Thank you," she said sitting up in her bed.

I just nodded. I took off my tie, unbuttoned my shirt, and slid it off. I threw it over her chair before kicking off my shoes. Normally this next part wouldn't bother me, but since I had just confessed my feelings for Bella, I felt a little weird stripping down to my boxer briefs. I hesitated for a moment, but decided that I would try to act as normal as I could. I unbuckled my belt and glanced over to Bella. She was looking at me. I quickly looked away and unbuttoned my pants. I slid them down and stepped out of them. Pretending to look down I peeked up to see if Bella was still watching. She was. I felt a little embarrassed and a little excited. Bella, well drunk Bella, was watching me get undressed. I stood up allowing her to look at me before I slid my basketball shorts on.

I walked over to her bed and set on the edge of it. I didn't look at her, but I could feel her eyes on me. Then I felt her start to draw circles softly on my back. I felt my body relax. Having Bella touch me like this was too much. I wanted to turn around and run my fingers a long her cheek, but I just sat still. Just as quickly as her hands were on my back they were gone. I felt her get up from the bed and walk towards the end. I still hadn't looked up yet.

"Edward? Would you unzip my dress for me?" Bella said now standing with her back in front of me. She had swept her hair up to expose her neck.

I stood up slowly and moved my hands to the back of her dress. I unzipped it trying hard not to touch her skin. She took a few steps forward and let the dress fall from her shoulders. I looked down quickly, but when I didn't hear her move, I looked up. She had turned around and was looking at me. I looked up to her eyes and she smiled sweetly.

She was so beautiful. She was now only wearing a strapless bra and blue bikini like panties. I wanted to walk to her, take her in my arms, and kiss her. But I couldn't. She had made her feelings clear. She was just drunk and wasn't thinking clearly. Why would she feel weird about this, I was her friend after all? I broke eye contact and sat back down on the bed.

That seemed to snap her out of it because she walked over to her dresser. She pulled out a tank top and pulled it on. Then she grabbed a pair of shorts and slid them on. Then she did something that I hadn't expected. She reached her arms behind her back and slid them under her shirt. She held them there for a second, but soon dropped them to her sides, but they weren't empty. She was holding her bra.

What was she doing to me? I could see the outline of her breasts through her shirt. They were perfect. She dropped her bra to the floor and started walking towards the bed. I expected for her to walk around to the other side, but instead she was coming towards me. She moved so gracefully; I was having a hard time concentrating. Then she sat down next to me. She didn't look at me, and I didn't look at her. We just sat there for a long time.

I could see her body turn towards me out of the corner of my eye, and she lifted her hand and rand her fingers down the length of my arm finally resting it on my knee. I looked up at her. She looked so sexy. I wanted to kiss her; feel her body against mine. It was like she could read my thoughts because she started to lean in towards me. I couldn't do this. I can't be with Bella; not like this; not when we're drunk.

"Bella," I said before softly putting my arm on her shoulder to stop her. "We can't do this."

She looked away quickly, but I lifted her chin so I could see into her eyes. Then I gently placed my lips on hers and pulled away quickly.

"Good night," I whispered.

"Will you sleep with me here tonight?" she said looking towards her bed.

I nodded and stood up to let her get into bed. I sat down next to her and slid under the blanket. She quickly cuddled up next to me, laid her head on my chest, and threw her arm over my stomach. I wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her forehead.

"Dream sweet dreams, my Bella," I whispered in her ear.

That was the first night I ever slept with Bella. My life would never be the same after that. She would always have my heart. I laid there thinking to myself and staring at the ceiling. When I finally heard her heart beat settle into a steady rhythm, I ran my fingers through her hair.

"I love you," I whispered. I closed my eyes fell asleep still holding my angel.

**Well.....What do you guys think? Don't forget about my A/N; should they hook up or not? I'm still not quite sure. The more reviews I get the quicker the next chapter will be up. Thank you everyone for reading! You're great!**


	8. I'm a Pretty Princess

****

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's character, but this is my own story line. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 6**

**I'm a Pretty Princess**

Months had passed since the night of the Winter Carnival, and Bella and I were closer than ever. We never spoke of that night again, but I thought of it often. Almost every time I stayed over with her I slept in her bed. She would cuddle up next to me and fall asleep every time. I took those moments to tell her I loved her. It was the sweetest kind of torture.

I did my best to show everyone I had moved on and no longer had feelings for Bella, so I started dating. At the end of junior year I had been out on a half a dozen dates but always told my family that things weren't working out. At the beginning of the summer Tanya and her sisters came to stay with us for a few weeks. I took comfort in Tanya's advances and began to date her soon after she arrived here. Emmett told me I was crazy. I had detested Tanya for so long and now I was dating her. I had truly lost my mind.

Our 'relationship' didn't last long though. One evening we were looking through pictures and she made a comment about Bella being plain and a waste of my time. I showed her to the door and never spoke to her again. Bella meant more to me than any other woman ever could. I guess that was my first problem; I compared everyone I dated to her. They weren't smart enough, funny enough, or sweet enough; there was always something.

That summer we all decided to have as much fun as we possibly could. Rosalie and Emmett would be leaving for Dartmouth in the fall and our little group was going to change. We spent nearly every day together.

One day we were out back in the pool.

"Let's play chicken," Emmett said splashing Jasper and I. He flexed his arms, which I must admit, was impressive. "I'll bet I beat you all."

So we all paired up. Bella was of course going to be my partner. "Now don't you take it easy on Alice, Bella. I know your best friends, but I want to win this," I said before diving under the water to put Bella on my shoulders.

Once she was in the air she grabbed my hair tightly. "Bella relax. I won't let you fall…at least not on purpose," I said playing with her. I waited for Rosalie and Alice to take their places before heading towards the center of the pool.

"Okay on the count of three," Emmett said, "1…2…3!"

I rushed towards Jasper first. I figured they would be easier to take down. I nearly ran into Emmett though; clearly he must have had the same idea. We easily claimed our first victim. I took a few steps back from Emmett to regain my composure before squeezing Bella's thigh slightly to let her know I was about to make my move.

I rushed towards Emmett and he did the same. I could see Bella's arms stretched out to get Rosalie. The girls wrested around, each determined not to lose. "Just give in little brother," Emmett said, "and I promise no harm will come to your precious Bella."

I lunged at him again. Bella had a hold of Rosalie by the shoulders; Rosalie had her arms around Bella's back to steady herself.

"Ahhh!!!" I heard Bella scream.

"Oh Bella I'm so sorry," Rosalie said sounding pitiful.

"Wow," I heard Emmett say.

What had just happened? Suddenly Bella leaned backwards and fell into the pool. She stood up quickly and rushed to me hugging tightly to my body. Then I realized what had happened. Rosalie had accidently ripped Bella's bikini top off, and now she was pressing her bare breasts against my chest to keep them hidden. You've got to be kidding me. I had done an amazing job maintaining control around Bella, but this was too much.

I instantly felt my erection coming to life, and swim trunks were much too roomy to hide the problem.

"Emmett, Jasper turn around!" shouted Alice while swimming over to retrieve Bella's top. She waded over to where Bella and I stood frozen. "Edward, close your eyes," Alice said and began to pry my hands from Bella's back.

"Here Bella, let me help you," Rosalie said. "I'm so sorry, Bella really I am. I don't think the guys saw anything. Okay guys you can all look now."

I expected Bella to flee from the pool, but instead she practically threw herself into my arms. She buried her face in my chest and clung tight to my body. I could hear soft sobs coming from her mouth. Her sobs helped my erection go away.

"Bella, sweetie, are you okay?"

"I'm just embarrassed that's all," she mumbled. "Will you please take me to your room?"

I picked her up bridal style and walked up the steps out of the pool. Emmett was already out and threw a towel around Bella. "Thanks Emmett," she said quietly.

I walked inside and headed up to my room. I set her down on my bed and went to find something for her to wear; all of our clothes were in the pool house. "Here Bella, put these on," I said placing some clothes in her lap. I turned around and looked out the window. "Okay, Edward. I'm dressed."

She was already lying under my blankets and motioning for me to come lay down. I walked towards the bed and slid under the blankets next to her. She was shaking; probably a combination of being cold and embarrassed. She laid her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arm around my waist.

"That was horrible," she said, talking into my arm.

"Bella, you know Emmett, Jasper and I didn't think anything about it. It was an accident. Besides you have nothing to be embarrassed about; you're beautiful."

"You have to say that; you're my best friend," she said laughing.

"You're right…you're actually quite repulsive you know," I said sarcastically.

She bit my shoulder.

"Bella, you know you shouldn't start anything you can't finish," I said flipping her onto her back. I began to tickle her. I didn't take long for her to give in.

"Okay…please…OKAY. Stop Edward please. I give up!"

I laughed and kissed her red cheek. "I win," I said and lay back down.

She curled back up against me and said, "What would I do without?"

"Well today, you would have flashed my brother and best friend."

There was a knock on the door. "Bella, I brought you your clothes," Rosalie said peeking her head in my room. "Do you want to get changed and come and make cookies with Alice and me?"

"Sure. I'll talk to you later?" she said looking at me. I nodded and she climbed over me to get off the bed. God, she was going to kill me. She walked out the door following Rosalie.

I laid back, put a pillow over my face and screamed. Another knock at the door. "Eddie, tryin' to off yourself?" Emmett said.

"What do you want Emmett?"

"We need to talk about what I saw in outside the pool lil' bro."

"What are you talking about? I carried Bella, she was embarrassed."

"I'm talking about little Eddie man." I put the pillow back over my face.

"Don't worry about it man. I don't think anyone else saw; they were all still in the pool. Do you still have a thing for Bella?" I just nodded my head under the pillow.

I threw off the pillow and told him about what happened the night of Winter Carnival and how since then, I've been trying to hide my feelings for Bella hoping that they would go away.

Emmett wasn't a serious guy, but for once he didn't laugh. He actually seemed to be sad.

"Listen man, you either need to let this go or tell her again. Don't worry man, this is just between us. Let me know if I can do anything to help," he slapped my shoulder and walked out the door.

I decided to let it go, or at least try to. I couldn't hurt Bella again. Plan get over Bella was now in action.

The rest of the summer went by in a blur. Before I knew it it was the weekend before school started. This would be my final year at Forks High School, and possibly my final year of school with Bella.

A week ago Bella told me that she was considering going to school for Marine Biology at UCLA. I was almost certainly going to Dartmouth, which wasn't a likely choice for Bella to make considering what she wanted to do.

When she told me I was pretty bummed, but told her that she needed to do what would be best for her, even if that meant attending a college on the other side of the country. I decided that I would make this year good, and try to spend as much time with Bella as I could, and that started now.

It was Sunday night, and Bella had told Charlie that she was staying with Alice because she wanted to dress her up for the first day of school tomorrow. We were sitting around the living room watching an old _Friends_ episode when Emmett spoke up.

"Okay I can only take so much _Friends_. I have this memorized already. Lets do something fun guys," he had a mischievous smile on his face.

"No way Emmett. I am _not_ playing strip poker with you again!" Jasper yelled.

"Relax dude, that's not what I was thinking, but you know you liked it," Emmett said winking at Jasper.

"Okay Emmett, what exactly did you have in mind?" Rosalie finally asked.

"Let's play Truth or Dare!!!"

"Oh come on Em, what are we middle schoolers?" Jasper said

"Awe…come on Jazz. It'll be fun. Pleaseeeee??" Alice whined.

"Fine fine. I'm in," Jasper said reluctantly.

"Me too," Rosalie said.

"Ummm…I guess, just don't make me do anything stupid, okay?" Bella said.

"Bella you shouldn't have said that. Now they'll be out to get you. I'm in," I said.

"Well since this was my idea, I get to go first. Jasper, truth or dare?"

"Dare of course," Jasper said confidently.

"Okay, I dare you to go tell my mom how attractive you think she is," Emmett said.

"Come on dude, she's like my mom!"

"I know. That's what makes this fun."

Jasper headed upstairs to find my mom. We all waited for him to return. When he finally came around the corner, we could see that his face was red.

"That was embarrassing guys. She just looked at me like I had a third eye and listened as I confessed that I thought she was hot. She said, 'well, thank you Jasper,' and I ran out the door."

We all just laughed at him as he took his seat next to Alice.

"Okay, Edward truth or dare."

"Truth," I said while Emmett sighed.

"Okay, how many girls have you seen in a bra and panties or naked and who? Alice doesn't count."

"Two," I said quietly. "Tanya and Bella."

"Bella!! What?" Alice screamed.

"You didn't say I had to give details. Emmett, truth or dare?" I asked.

"Dare bro. You know how I roll!"

"Okay I dare you to put on one of Rose's bikinis and run around the police station saying I'm a pretty princess."

"Edward…the dare is only supposed to embarrass Emmett not the whole family, and I really don't want to see Em in a bikini, there's no way there's gonna be enough material," Alice whined.

"Oh God; I better call my dad and warn him not to arrest Emmett for indecent exposure or public drunkenness or something," I said grabbing for my phone.

But Emmett didn't even hear them because he flew up the stairs to get one of the bikinis Rose left here for swimming. Shortly after, Emmett emerged in a pink bikini. Alice and Bella turned away not wanting to see any more of Emmett.

"This thing is uncomfortable; girls are crazy for wearing this crap," he said tugging on his bikini bottoms. "I just hope my junk doesn't come out when I'm skipping around."

"I never said you had to skip."

"I know; I just think it will make it more entertaining. Let's get this show on the road."

We got up and headed for the door. Jasper threw a jacket at Emmett. "Please put this on until we get there."

"Fine," Emmett said putting the coat on.

Emmett finally seemed a little nervous by the time we got to the station. So he did have some common sense. Emmett hopped out of his Jeep while the rest of us stayed in the cars. He threw the jacket on the hood and began skipping around the station.

"I'm a pretty princess. I'm a pretty princess," he was singing.

My entire car was filled with laughter as we watched people stare and back away from him. I'm sure they thought he was crazy or something. Charlie was outside the door shaking his head and motioning his deputies to go back inside. When he finally came around the other side he nearly ran into an old lady who proceeded to smack him with her purse. "Pervert!" she yelled.

"Ow. Jeez lady…oww…I'm sorry. Stop!" Emmett said fighting off his attacker.

Finally he made his way back to his Jeep, grabbed the jacket, and hopped inside. Bella laughed the entire way home. Once we were all inside and Emmett had some less revealing clothes on he rejoined the group.

"Emmett, you feeling okay?" Bella said laughing. "That old lady ass whooping was hilarious!"

"Funny…haha. Okay Bella, truth or dare?"

Bella suddenly stopped laughing. Oh no what was Emmett going to do?

"Umm…I don't really feel like bearing my soul…so let's go with dare."

"Alright Bells. I dare you to…" Emmett paused for dramatic effect, "to kiss Edward for 10 seconds. Oh and put some umpf into it."

No one said a thing. Everyone kept looking from Bella to me, waiting for one of us to say something, but I was in shock. Damn him. He would most definitely pay for this one. Bella looked at me as if to say, 'what the hell do we do!'

"Emmett, you can't make Bella do that!" Alice said.

"Fine, she doesn't have to do it, but I'll just come up with something tens times worse if she backs down," Emmett said reluctant to budge.

"Okay, okay. Just let me talk to Edward really quick," Bella said pulling me out of the room.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked me.

"Umm…yeah I'm okay if you are," I said trying to sound confident.

"Okay, so we won't be all weird about this later?"

"Come on Bells…it's always gonna be you and me. It's cool. Besides you can't back down from Emmett; you'll never hear the end of it."

"Okay then; let's do this," Bella said heading back to the living room.

I followed her trying to appear cool. Bella was going to kiss me. Oh Lord please don't let me do anything stupid I kept thinking.

"So what's the verdict?" Emmett said impatiently.

"I'll do your dare Emmett, but you better not give us a hard time about this." Bella said turning her back to Emmett. He gave me a wink.

Bella walked towards me and stopped about a foot away from me. "Ready?" she whispered. I just nodded my head. She came closer; now she was inches from my face.

She put her hand on my cheek, closed her eyes and brought her lips to mine. Her lips were so soft. Our kiss seemed so uncomfortable like we were learning what to do.

"You can do better than that Bella," Emmett said, and with that she brought her other hand to the back of my head and opened her mouth slightly to let her tongue touch my lips. I opened my mouth to greet hers and let my tongue ease into her mouth. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. This could quiet possibly be the best moment of my entire life, and to her it was just a dare, but I didn't care at that moment. I was going to enjoy this.

I decided to put my all into it. I let my tongue trace circles on the roof of her mouth; her body relaxed in my arms. I brought one hand up to her hair and ran my fingers through it. She took a deep breath.

Finally I slowly pulled away and then gave her a final quick peck. She just stared at me. Her eyes looked surprised; like she had just figured out the answer to one of life's big questions.

I gave her a smile and rubbed her arm before taking my seat on the couch. No one said a thing. Emmett had a goofy smile, Jasper looked shocked, while Alice and Rosalie both hand their hand over their mouths. Bella was still standing in the center of the room looking at me. Great… plan get over Bella…take two.

**A/N **

**First of all...thank you all so much for your reviews, they really mean a lot. Second...I don't know how I feel about this chapter, but I felt that there needed to be something that was a little more fun. I hope you all liked it, and I would really appreciate your comments. Hope you guys have a great weekend!!**


	9. I Show You Mine, You Show Me Yours

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**Hey you guys! I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated last; I've been in computer hell. Anyways, I just got it back only to find a lot of my documents missing including this chapter, so I had to rewrite it. :( I'm working on the next one; I have half of it done, and may post it early...we'll see. Thanks for reading and Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's character, but this is my own story line. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 7**

**I Show You Mine, You Show Me Yours**

I must say I was rather pleased with myself for kissing Bella the way I had. I was a little concerned with what everyone now currently thought about the way I felt for her, but it was worth it. For one moment I allowed myself to express everything I felt for Bella, and that felt good. Though I was sorry for doing that to her; I must have shocked her pretty badly because once she stopped staring at me and she went to take her seat by Emmett she actually sat on his lap. That immediately brought a blush to her face and she quickly slid off his lap and into her seat. Needless to say that was our final round of Truth or Dare.

School started off just like any other year. We were all busy filling out college applications and joining after school clubs. Football kept me pretty busy, so I didn't have as much time with Bella as I had grown accustomed to over the summer, but when I was with her sometimes things felt a little off.

Bella was just slightly different after that night. We never said anything about it, but we didn't really have to; it was like the big pink elephant in the room. Whenever it was brought up she would blush and look away from me. I guess she was just embarrassed about it, and why wouldn't she be; she didn't like me after all. But then there were days when I swore she felt something.

More than once I have noticed her looking at me…_differently_. I don't really know if I was just hoping that she was doing it or not, so I didn't trust my instincts. She didn't play with my hair as much anymore…a contact that I truly missed, it seemed so intimate yet so innocent.

_**Flashback 3 months ago, one week into school**_

_I hopped out of my baby and tossed Jasper the keys._

"_Hurt her, and I will make you pay."_

"_I know. I know. I'll bring her back tonight. Thanks for letting me borrow it 'til mine is fixed."_

"_No problem!" I shouted while opening the front door._

"_Hello?"_

_Mom must still be in Seattle and Alice had drug Bella shopping, so I guess I get the house to myself for a while. _

_Since I had just come from practice I decided to grab a quick shower. It's not often that I get to be alone in a home with a brother and a sister who both have significant others so I decided to make the most of it. I was modest, but I was still a guy, and I liked to be naked. _

_So when I walked into my room I threw off my clothes, grabbed a towel and headed for the shower. I let the hot water run over my sore muscles. Coach had pushed us hard today; getting us ready for the big season opener. I stood under the shower head and let the water cascade down my face. I put my hands on the wall in front of me and lowered my head letting the water run down my back. _

_Slam._

"_Hello?" I called out. Nothing. Something must have fallen over._

_I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I wiped most of the droplets off my body and did a couple rubs in my hair before wrapping the towel around my waist. _

"_Hello?" I called again when I opened the door just to make sure. Nothing._

_I walked down the hallway and headed downstairs towards the kitchen. Our house had lots of windows, but we lived no where near anyone so I had little worry of a neighbor spying on me. I walked straight for the refrigerator and pulled out some hamburger. I looked around for the George Foreman grill and finally spotted it on top of one of the cabinets. _

_The damn thing was just barely out of my reach, but being the man that I was I was not about to grab a chair. I stretched my arms out as far as they would go and stood on my tip toes. My towel brushed against the countertop and slid from my waist to the floor. Damnit! Oh well, there's no one here it can wait. I stretched just another inch, finally reached the grill, and pulled it down. I walked back over to the counter with the hamburger on it and set the grill down._

"_OH MY GOD! I'm so…s…sorry. I didn't know anyone was here. Your car wasn't in the driveway!"_

_I was so startled that I spun around only to fall right on my ass. Oh God, it was Bella. I heard footsteps running up the stairs. I remained on the floor, unable to move. Possibly frozen with fear. Bella had just seen me completely naked. I got up, grabbed my towel and cursed under my breath. _

_I considered leaving, but this was my house, and there was the small issue of no clothes, so I decided to head to my room and avoid Bella the rest of the evening. I suspected Bella was seeking refuge in Alice's room, but her door was wide open. Mine however…shut. Amazing. She must have been so rattled that she headed for my room. I could picture her face down on my bed praying to erase her previous memory. Should I just grab something from Emmett's room? No, we had definitely been through our crazy situations this last year and made it through; this would be no different. _

_I grabbed my doorknob, took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. "Bella? I need to come in and get some clothes." I took a step into my room and saw her sitting on my bed looking at the floor. _

"_Oh...umm...yeah sure. This is your room. Edward, I'm so very sorry about walking in on you. I didn't think anyone was home; Alice said you were with Jasper, so I thought I'd wait for you or Alice to get here. I…umm…I did see…umm…you. I don't want to lie and then you always wonder if I saw anything and then have to pretend I didn't. I mean if you think about it I have seen it before; when we were little I mean, but I well yea..."_

"_Bella, you're rambling, and I'm in a towel. Do you mind if I get dressed and then we can talk about this?" I said trying to sound relaxed._

_She looked up at me, "Oh right. I'm sorry. I'll be downstairs."_

"_Okay, and please, stop saying you're sorry," I said shoving her arm as she walked past me._

_I got dressed slowly and decided it was probably time to head downstairs. Just as promised, Bella was sitting on the couch waiting for me. I took a seat by her and leaned back into the corner of the couch. I looked at her; she was looking at me…differently. Neither one of us said anything for what seemed to be eternity, so I decided to break the ice._

"_So…I show you mine, you show me yours?" I said playfully._

_She giggled and blushed. Oh God how I loved that. "You wish Cullen."_

"_I'm sor…I mean I hope you're not weirded out by all of this," she said._

"_Oh and you're not. Often walk in on naked men, do you?"_

"_No, I mean you're the…first," she said quietly._

"_Well, I hope I didn't ruin you for other men," I said flashing a smile. I was desperately trying to make her feel comfortable. "Bells, I'm okay. Really. I can handle it if you can?" Bella was always up for a challenge._

"_Okay. Let's just not talk about it…you know add it to the list. But first, would you care to explain why you were naked in your very open kitchen?"_

"_That was kind of an accident. I was reaching for something, my towel fell off, and I just didn't pick it up immediately," I said simply. "Wanna watch a movie?" Moving on._

"_Sure, you pick," she said clearly thankful for the subject change._

_I put in The Third Wheel and plopped down on the couch. She took the other end and tucked her feet under my legs to keep them warm as usual; this felt right. I wish it could always be like this. Actually I'd much prefer her head on my chest, but I was fighting the good fight with those feelings. I glanced over at her to find her staring at me. She didn't look away, but instead gave me a soft smile and rubbed my calf. Bella never ceased to amaze me._

_**End of Flashback**_

"Edward? Edward! Did you hear a word I said?" Alice shouted.

"Hmm…what? Oh sorry. What?"

"Bella is looking for you. I told her you would go to her house after you finished practice, so don't forget. Later!"

Practice went by slowly. We were in the finals so Coach was being extra edgy. When it was finally over, I headed for Bella's. Only her truck was in the drive-way. I hated that truck. It was so slow and unreliable. The only good thing it had going was that if she were to ever be in an accident it was like a tank, so even Bella would likely survive.

I walked in the door and called her name to let her know I was here.

"In my room," she replied.

"Hey what's up?" I asked walking into her room.

"I got this in the mail, and I wanted you to be here when I opened it," she said showing me an envelope from UCLA. She was really nervous about getting in. It was the middle of November and Alice and Jasper had already been accepted there weeks ago.

"I'm sure you got in. Go ahead. Open it Bells," I said sitting down next to her on the bed.

She tore the envelope open, held the letter in her hands and closed her eyes. "Please." She unfolded the letter and began to read it. Then she dropped her hands to her lap and stared.

"I…I got in. Edward, I GOT IN!!!" she screamed and hugged me so hard she knocked me over and was now laying on me.

"That's great Bells. I knew you would," I said trying to sound excited, but on the inside I was screaming _don't go; I love you!_

"Oh Edward, I'm sorry."

"No really Bells. I am happy for you. I'm just going to miss you that's all. How can I make sure nothing happens to you when you're across the country?" I said with a smile.

"Alice and Jasper will be there to watch over me. And you'll have Emmett and Rosalie. Oh God Edward. Everything is going to change isn't it?" she said laying her head on my chest.

"Not us. I will always be here for you Bella. Always and forever. Don't ever forget," I said pushing her hair out of her face. I looked down at her and saw a tear running down her cheek. I lifted her face up to look into her eyes. I smiled and wiped away a tear. Then it happened. She kissed me. It was quick and soft. I blinked to make sure I was awake, and then she brought her lips to mine again. This kiss had more force behind it…passion maybe. I let myself kiss her back. This was right; it felt like we should have been doing this all along.

Then she pulled away. "Edward…I'm sorry. I think I just got swept up in everything. The idea of missing you, and you were so gentle with me. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything really."

"Oh. That's alright Bella. I understand; you're emotions got the better of you. I'm just going to go. I told Mom I would be home for dinner. So…I will just see you tomorrow then?"

"Sounds good. Edward, you are amazing. I don't know what I would do without out. I love you so much," she said wrapping her arms around me once more.

"I love you too Bells," I said kissing her on the forehead and walked out her door.

When I got to my car I just sat inside it with my hands on the steering wheel. Maybe going to different schools would be the best thing for us…for me. I don't know how much more my heart could take. It definitely couldn't take anymore of her kisses if my feelings weren't going to be returned. I pulled out of the driveway, headed home, and began to devise a plan to distance myself from Bella.

**I know Edward seems to always be in some kind of emotional termoil. I don't know maybe it's my current mood. Alright, so like I said you may get half a chapter soon. I hope you all enjoyed it; please let me know what you think.**


	10. Such a Dick Part 1

**Chapter 8**

**Such an Dick**

I became very good at avoiding Bella. I began shadowing my father at the hospital to get "some real experience." There were still situations that were unavoidable though; like when she was at my house hanging out with Alice, and we still had Biology together.

I was still "friends" with Bella, but I just kept a distance, and believe me I was getting it from everyone.

"Edward, why are you being such a dick to Bella?" Alice asked.

"What? I'm not being a dick. I've just been busy," I said defending myself.

"Come on. Bella and I both know you're avoiding her and have been since the UCLA kiss thing happened. I just don't understand why."

"I just want to get some experience before I leave for school, so just drop it. Besides if it was really bothering Bella she should just say something to me herself."

"She would Edward, but you hardly stick around long enough for her to say hi. She's really hurt, and she misses you. You're already leaving for Dartmouth when school lets out; are you sure you want to waste the last month you have with her?"

I turned away from her.

"Damnit Edward, you're going to regret this!" she shouted before leaving and slamming the front door.

I knew I was going to regret this; I already was, but what choice did I have? I couldn't be around her and not want to kiss her every time. I knew it wasn't fair to her, but I wasn't strong enough anymore.

"Edward dear, Emmett is on the phone; he'd like to talk with you," Mom said snapping me out of it.

I grabbed the phone and headed for my room.

"Hey Emmett. What's up?"

"_Eddie, what the hell is going on over there? Rose was talking to Jasper, and he said that you're not talking to Bella, so I decided to give her a call. Dude, she's a mess. She doesn't know what she did; she was bawling man."_

"I'm not _not_ talking to Bella, I'm just not spending as much time with her as I used to."

"_Anytime."_

"Fine. Anytime with her. Look you know how I feel about her Emmett; it's just too hard."

"_Well then maybe you need to talk to her and let her know, instead of acting like such an ass. Ah crap, I gotta go. FIX THIS. I'll see you at graduation. Later lil' bro."_

Are you kidding me, Alice and Emmett both in one day? I had been called both a dick and an ass, man I must be on a roll. They really didn't get it. I've tried to be close to Bella and hide my feelings, but weird shit just kept happening when we were together, and I just couldn't do it anymore.

I needed to keep busy, so I decided to see if Mom needed anything done around the house. When I walked downstairs, I could hear Mom talking to someone. I hoped it was Jasper; I could really use a distraction.

"Sweetie, I'm sure he's got a reason for why he's behaving this way. I'm sorry, but know that you're always welcome here Bella," Mom said.

Oh great. This was really turning out to be the day from hell.

"Hey Mom. Bella. I was wondering if you needed anything done around the house today?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so. Why don't you keep Bella company until Alice gets back? I need to run into town to get a few things for dinner; I'll be back later. Bella you're welcome to stay and eat with us," Mom gave me a warning look.

"Thanks, Esme," Bella said not saying yes or no.

Well this was going to be awkward. Bella turned and walked into the living room, so I followed. I turned on the TV and sat in the chair.

"So…are you getting nervous for graduation?" I asked like we were strangers.

"No, I'm ready. I'm ready to get away from Forks," she said flatly.

Away from me. My heart sank at the thought.

"Did you enjoy prom a few weeks ago?" I asked trying to fill the silence.

"Edward, just drop it. I know you don't care about if I had a good time at prom. If you did, you would have been there. You can't just not speak to me and then expect for things to be normal now. I understand that you're mad at me for kissing you, but I," but before she could finish I cut her off.

"You don't understand anything Bella," I shot at her.

"You're right. I don't understand because you refuse to talk to me!"

"It's better this way Bella. I'm leaving soon anyways."

"That's exactly it. You're leaving soon, and you're treating me like I don't matter; like it's so easy not having me in your life. Don't you miss me at all?!"

Her words hurt, but I deserved it. I was being so selfish. I was too ashamed to speak which Bella took as indifference.

"Forget it Edward," she said getting up and heading for the door, "tell your mom thanks but something came up."

I let her leave. Did I have any right to stop her anyways? I needed to tell her something; even if it wasn't the whole truth. I walked to the door and stepped out onto the porch. She was already in her truck looking down. As I got closer, I could see she was crying. I had done it again; I had hurt Bella. I didn't deserve her.

"Bella," I said sheepishly as I opened her door.

"Edward, just go away."

"Bella please, let me talk to you," I said reaching for her arm.

She pulled away from me.

"Please," I pleaded. "Come inside and let me explain," I didn't know what I was going to explain, but she deserved at least something.

She stepped out of her truck but wouldn't come near me. I followed her back to the house and shut the door behind us. I sat at the opposite end of the couch.

"Well," she said clearly upset.

"I...well I…" I didn't know what to say. "Will you come with me please?" I asked standing up.

She just looked at me confused but stood up. Even when I was a jerk she was amazing. I walked into the sitting room and headed for the piano. I motioned for her to sit down and then sat next to her.

I let my fingers touch a few keys and began to play _Chop Sticks_ softly. She sighed.

"Bella, I know I've been awful, but I you need to know that I think of you all the time. Really I do," I said changing to a softer song.

"I know I've been a jerk, and I can't make up for it. But please know that you matter, and it's not easy not having you in my life. I just haven't taken this whole college thing well," I explained still looking at the piano keys.

"Do you think college is only going to be hard for you? Do you have any idea how much I'm going to miss you and how I've seriously considered going to Dartmouth instead? Well that was before you started acting like such an ass."

"I know Bella. I'm sorry," I said beginning to play the song I'd written for her graduation present.

She was watching me play. "Is this new? I've never heard you play it before," Bella asked.

"I wrote it for you," she looked up at me. I smiled.

"I've missed that crocked smile," she said.

"This was supposed to be your graduation gift, but I guess you can have it early."

I let myself relax and continued playing Bella's song. It reminded me so much of her, soft and happy. So many memories flooded my mind. Playing house when we were younger, the first night I slept over at her house, sitting in the hallway while she played with my hair, Homecoming dance junior year. Bella was in almost every happy memory I had within the last year and a half, and I had pushed her away.

When my fingers played the last few notes to her song, I put my hands on my lap. Bella flung her arms around me.

"It was beautiful Edward. Thank you so much. It's the best gift I've ever gotten; I love it," she said laying her head on my shoulder.

"You're welcome Bella," I said turning to hug her and then before I could even stop myself, "Bella…I love you," I said pulling away to look into her eyes. She didn't seem shocked.

Then I kissed her.


	11. Such a Dick Part 2

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**Alright guys, here you go Part 2. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Twilight**_** or the characters, but this is my story line. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8 Continued**

**Such A Dick Part 2**

Then I kissed her. She didn't stop me, and when I probably should have stopped myself I couldn't. She tasted so...so amazing. Just about the time I was going to pull away, I felt her fingers run through my hair. Oh my God; she was kissing me back. This only spurred me on even more. I pressed my body into her; I longed to be as close as I possibly could. I brought one hand up to her face and the other I placed on the back of her neck. She parted her mouth slightly, so I parted mine in response and slowly let my tongue brush against her lip; I didn't want to push my luck. She leaned into me and let her tongue graze mine. I took this as a good sign and let my tongue trace the roof of her mouth before exploring her mouth. She moaned, and then I moaned.

As much as I loved how this felt and had been longing for this moment for so long, I needed to know what Bella was thinking. Was this another lost in the moment kiss, or was this something more? I brought my other hand to the side of her face and kissed her a little more gently before pulling away. I looked at Bella hoping to read her face, but her eyes were still closed.

"Bella?" I asked softly.

"Just give me a minute please," she said still not opening her eyes.

I smiled at the idea of making her need a minute to regain her composure. I removed my hands from her face and brought them to her hands which were now resting in her lap and began rubbing circles on her palm with my thumb. I didn't want to rush her, so I waited patiently. It seemed like an eternity before she finally spoke.

"Edward, I'm a little confused."

"About what Bella; my words or my actions," I knew I had some explaining to do.

"Well I'm guessing your kiss was a product of your words, so lets start there. You said you love me?"

"Yes Bella. I'm in love with you and have been since you returned to Forks. Well it wasn't love initially, but it quickly developed into that with the more time I got to spend with you. I love everything about you. I love the way you play with my hair. I love that you're clumsy. I love that you sleep better when I'm with you. I love how you sometimes say my name when you're sleeping. The reason I've been avoiding you for the last few months is because it was becoming so hard for me to be around you and not imagine what it would be like to have more. I want more Bella. I want you. Always and forever," I said honestly. There was no use keeping secrets now, my heart was too far gone.

Tears began to form in her eyes

"Bella, please don't cry."

"They're happy tears Edward. I thought you hated me; that I had done something to push you away. I'm just so happy that you aren't mad at me," she wrapped her arms around me.

"Silly Bella, of course I'm not mad at you, but don't you have anything to say about what I just said. I know you were kissing me back Bella. Please I just need to know," I said.

"I...well...okay first, the kiss...the kiss was amazing, and yes I was kissing you back," I smiled. "I think that there's been a part of me for a while now that has wanted to kiss you and be kissed by you ever since I returned, but not like the ones we had before. Not like the Truth or Dare kiss and not like how I kissed you when I was upset. This kiss was different; it meant more to me. And as for the second part; Edward, I'm not ready to say I love you."

When she said that I looked down. She immediately lifted my chin up.

"But," she continued, "I definitely have feelings for you. I just don't want to rush into saying I love you because when I say it I want to mean it, and I want it to be special. I don't just want to say it cause you did because you deserve better than that. But if you could just give me some time, give us some time, I think I could."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her and kissed her quickly.

"I guess that means you're okay with that," she said smiling and talking against my lips. She gave me a quick peck. My heart raced. I had waited so long for Bella to kiss me.

"I would wait for you forever," I said.

She laid her head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arms tighter around her.

"So..."

"So...I guess things are going to be different around here," she said.

"If by different you mean I finally get to kiss you whenever I would like and everyone in my family is going to start carrying on about how they've been waiting for this to happen, then yes things are going to be different."

"Oh yeah, I guess we're going to have to tell people huh?"

"What? You don't want people to know?" I asked a little hurt.

"No it's not that. It's just...I'm never going to hear the end of this from Alice and well...Jessica is going to hate me even more than she already does," Bella said.

I laughed, "Don't worry Bella, I'll protect you."

"Gee thanks."

"Hey, I have a fun idea about how we can tell Alice and the rest of the family about us being together. You game?"

"Sure," Bella was always up for a trick on Alice. She turned away from me on the piano bench and leaned back into my chest. I put my arms around her and filled her in on my plan

When Alice and Jasper got home Bella and I were sitting on opposite couches watching TV.

"Well will you look at this," Jasper said as he stepped into the living room. "About damn time you too sat down and talked." Alice was smiling ear to ear.

"Talk? I wouldn't know what your talking about. I've been sitting here watching TV by myself," Bella said shooting me a look of annoyance.

I folded my arms and shrugged my shoulders.

"Edward, would you just knock it off please," Bella said getting to her feet an walking towards me. Alice's eyes widened, and Jasper looked confused. "If you have a problem with me would you stop being such a pussy and just say it!" She pushed me.

"Bella...I'm warning you, don't push me again!" I said in a threatening voice. Mom and Dad had walked into the room and were ready to step in.

"Edward! You don't talk to a woman that way!" Mom shouted. I couldn't help but smile. We really had them fooled. Only a little while longer.

"No, it's fine Esme. Edward wouldn't dare touch me; he's not that stupid. Cowardly and annoying, but not stupid," Bella said folding her arms across her chest.

"Bella," I said warning her.

"I'm sick of you treating me like I don't exist," she shouted and pushed me again. Okay, now for the real show.

"Damn it Bella!" I yelled and ran at her pushing her onto the couch.

"Edward!" Mom, Dad, Alice, and Jasper all said at once.

"Jasper! Do something!" Alice pleaded.

"Bella, don't you ever push me again!" I yelled pinning her shoulders down on the couch. And before Jasper could pull me off of Bella I smiled and leaned down and kissed her passionately. Bella wrapped her arms around my waist.

"What the hell!" Alice yelled.

"Oh my," Mom said.

"About damn time!" Jasper cheered.

*Cough,* Dad cleared his throat.

I pulled away and then gave Bella another quick peck before lifting her up and setting her on my lap.

"Holy sh..."

"Alice!" Mom said.

Bella and I sat there smiling while everyone stared at us with mouths wide open. That was fun. We proceeded to explain to them what had happened, and that we were going to try things out in a relationship. Everyone was happy for us. Alice was jumping up and down, and my mom looked like she had tears in her eyes; she's always thought of Bella as part of the family anyway. Alice immediately made me call Emmett, who was of course excited. He reminded me repeatedly of how he had suggested I talk with Bella months and months ago. Rose was happy too, and for her that was enough.

Things felt right. Perfect. For the first time in a long time I felt good about everything. I finally had Bella, and I would do whatever it took to make sure she was happy. I looked over at her; she was talking with Alice. She was smiling like I hadn't seen her smile in a while. She looked up and caught me looking at her and blushed; I love it when she did that.

Finally it was time for Bella to leave; after saying good night to my family I walked her to her truck. I opened the door for her and she got in. I put my hands on the roof of her truck, leaned in and kissed her.

"I've waited so long to be able to do that," I said. "You don't know how happy you've made me. I love you Isabella Swan."

She smiled, "So what should I say for now, 'um..thanks,'" she said jokingly, but I knew she really did wonder. "I don't want to hurt your feelings by not saying it, but like I said earlier..."

I put my finger to her lips, "Shh...all you have to do is give me a kiss. I love you." She smiled and gave me a kiss. "Works for me," I said. For now.

"Well I better get going. You know...Charlie's on the night shift this weekend; you could come over later if you wanted."

"Why Isabella, are you asking me to sleep with you?" I said teasing her.

"Haha...very funny," she said pushing my shoulder.

"I'll be there in a about an hour. Bye love," I said giving her a kiss.

"Bye," she said before shutting her door. I watched her drive away before heading back into the house.

Everyone was still waiting for me when I got inside; waiting to ask me questions I assumed.

"Wow, it's late," I said faking a yawn and stretching. "I think I'm gonna go to bed."

"Edw..."

I cut Alice off. "Good night everyone," I said while walking up the stairs.

Once in my room I literally jumped onto my bed. It was like Christmas when your five and you had just gotten the best present ever. I felt that I would have a smile permanently plastered to my face, but I didn't care. The glory of first love, I guess. As I lay there thinking about the events of the evening, it finally dawned on me that I was going to stay the night with Bella. If it had been any other day before today, I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but today was different. Today something had happened between us that catapulted us out of the friend zone and into the unfamiliar zone. What would tonight be like? I of course had no sexual expectations; I had more respect for Bella than that, but what I felt in my heart and thought in my head might not be working in harmony tonight. What if my body reacted to her the way it had in the past and she was repulsed? Oh god. Maybe I could...no that would be way to uncomfortable. I guess I would just have to keep my mind on all things not Bella...I'm not sure if that was even possible.

I hung around for another forty-five minutes or so before I decided to leave. It had been a long time since I had to sneak out of my window, but I had become a pro at scaling trees. I popped my car into neutral and pushed it down the drive-way a little bit so my family wouldn't hear me if they were still awake. I must have driven 100 miles an hour because it felt like I was at Bella's house in minutes. I parked my car the next street over, so Charlie wouldn't see it when he got home and headed to her house. I found the door unlocked, so I walked on in. I could hear music playing from Bella's room, so I decided to not announce my entrance in hopes of surprising her.

Her door was cracked open, so I peaked inside. She was standing in front of her dresser in a sports bra and panties looking through a drawer. God, she was so sexy; my body started to betray me. Right, Mrs. Cope, Charlie, Alice and Jasper...okay better. She finally picked out a tank and shorts and put them on. I waited for a few minutes before knocking so as not to seem a perv.

"Bella?"

"Come on in Edward."

"Hey."

"Hey back," she said. I wanted to jump her right now. Jesus Edward, don't you have any control.

"So I was thinking we could watch a movie," Bella said laying down on her bed.

"Anything you want," I said walking over to her.

"Anything?" she asked sitting up and grabbing my shirt with both hands. She pulled me down to her.

"An...ahem...anything," I said quite flustered.

She giggled and let go of my shirt, " Okay, then I pick...The Notebook."

I couldn't quite place what that movie was about, but I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to pay attention to it anyway, so I just nodded and took a seat next to her.

"Great!" she said getting up and running to her TV. She returned quickly and laid down pulling me down with her. She lifted my arm and slid over it, snuggled into my chest, and wrapped her arm around my waist. Good lord, this woman was going to be the death of me. Her hair smelt like flowers. I kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath.

Once the movie began, I remembered what it was about, but had never seen the whole thing. Things were going well until the part when the girl started playing the piano and the guy started kissing her. My mind began to imagine it being Bella and I. I definitely had a fantasy involving my piano, and this movie was making it hard not to play it out in my head. I shifted to try to make myself a little more comfortable. When they started undressing Bella wiggled in my arms, and I swear I felt her body temperature rise. I guess this was getting to her as well.

She began to rub circles on my stomach and I reciprocated by rubbing circles on her back. I rolled over onto my side so that I was facing her. I began placing a trail of kisses all over her face. I kissed her eyelids, her cheekbones, her nose, and finally her lips. I then left little kisses across her neck up to her ear; when I reached her earlobe, I stuck out my tongue and flicked it lightly. Bella inhaled deeply. I made my way back up to her lips and traced it with my tongue before finally kissing her passionately. This kiss was more intense, fueled with lust and desire; our tongues fought for dominance, a battle I would willingly enter into blindly. I moved my hand from her back and let it run down her arm until I reached her stomach. I grabbed her hip and pulled her closer to me. Her fingers were tangled in my hair. I rolled her onto her back and carefully positioned myself above her. I pulled away to look at her.

"You are so beautiful," I whispered.

She blushed, "Thank you."

I continued with my assult this time kissing her neck with more determination. Her hands were on my hips now. "Edward," she whispered into my ear.

Oh that was too much. I needed to stop this before I overstepped my bounds. I pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"Bella, I think I need to stop. I'm sorry," I said rolling off of her. This was such not a guy thing to do, but I didn't want to rush things with Bella. I wanted to wait until she was ready and until she had said she loved me.

She furrowed her brows, "Uhh...okay. Did I do something wrong?"

"No no Bella, nothing like that. I just didn't know how much longer I would be able to control myself, and I don't want to rush things between us."

"Oh okay, well I'm glad you said something cause I was kinda thinking the same thing, but wasn't sure how to tell you. I was going to stop you soon, but I had always heard how tough it was on guys to get...well you know and then be stopped. I wanted to be gentle about it."

I laughed, "Well thank you. Bella, you can always be honest with me."

She snuggled back up against me and we went back to watching the movie. Before it was even over, she had fallen asleep. I brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.

"I love you Bella, good night," I whispered in her ear.

We prepared ourselves for school and the comments of our peers on the drive there Monday morning. "I'm really kind of anxious to see how Jessica reacts. She's gonna be pissed. Maybe when I see her I should grab your butt or something," Bella said laughing.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I could see a group of our classmates standing outside the doors to the school. I pullled in to a space next to Jasper's car; Alice and he were leaning on it talking. I hopped out and walked quickly over to Bella's side to open the door for her. She smiled and stepped out, "Ever the gentleman," she said as I grabbed her bag and flung it over my shoulder. We walked over to Jasper and Alice and talked to a while before the first bell rang.

"Come on Edward, we can walk to English together," Jessica shouted and waved.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Come on babe, we don't want to be late," I said flashing her a smile.

"Okay lets get this over with," she said and started for the doors. I grabbed her hand. Jessica's brows furrowed. Angela's face lit up. Newton looked like he was going to was going to tackle me. I gave them a smile and then put my arm around her shoulder.

"WHAT THE FU.." Jessica yelled while walking through the doors.

"I guess she doesn't want to walk with you after all," Bella smiled and kissed my cheek. I thought Mike was going to explode.

We spent most of the day fielding questions from our friends and receiving dirty looks from Jessica and Mike.

The rest of the month went by in a blur. Things were going extremely well. Bella and I spent almost every free moment together. The sexual tension was becoming insane. I still didn't want to go much further until she had told me she loved me, but my body often didn't want to listen to me. I was taking many cold showers. Despite that, things were good. In fact I was having so much fun that before I knew it was the night before graduation. I spent a lot of time trying to not think about me leaving the day after graduation, but me not dealing with it hadn't kept time from moving on. Mom was great and had packed most of my things allowing me to spend time with Bella. We had decided, that we would just call, email and chat all the time. Visits would be a little more difficult but we would work it out. I had to work it out, I needed Bella.

"I can't believe we graduate tomorrow. This year has gone by so fast. Do you have everything packed up?" Bella asked quietly. Neither one of us wanted to talk about me leaving.

"Um...yeah for the most part. I'll finish everything up later tonight. Don't worry Bella; we'll go to our graduation parties tomorrow night and then I'll have my going away party the next afternoon, but my last evening here is all yours," I said before kissing her.

"Good. I better go so you can get some stuff done, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course, where else would I be but with you. I love you." She smiled and kissed me per our agreement. "Night babe," I said.

"Good night," she whispered in my ear, got up and left.

I got up and began looking through books and music on my shelf to decide what was coming with me. I picked up a Dubussy CD and was reminded of Bella. I grabbed a picture of us off of my desk and sat down on my bed. I smiled, and then I sighed. I can't believe I only had two more days with my Bella.

**A/N**

**Okay guys next chapter is the final one before they head to college. Should the college years be in Bella's perspective, so we could see where she's coming from when she wrote the letter, or Edwards POV? Anyways...I hope you guys enjoyed, and as always thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Any suggestions give me holla, any comments would be appreciated. I look forward to what you guys thought! **


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